Spain and Morocco Mend Ties, Boost Security Cooperation After Pegasus Spyware Dispute

The Spanish and Moroccan officials buried the hatchet with a handshake, after suspicions of espionage using the Israeli software Pegasus. The Director General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) and the head of the Spanish intelligence services and their teams recently held an important meeting in Rabat reported by the Moroccan official news agency. In the past, the purpose of these meetings had never been made public for security reasons.

The meeting is welcomed by the Spanish intelligence services who believe that through this act, the two parties have renewed their ties of friendship and cooperation in the field of intelligence, according to sources from the intelligence services at El Español. According to the latter, this meeting has dispelled the misunderstandings about the Pegasus affair, the name of the spyware used to hack into the phones of Pedro Sanchez and several ministers including Margarita Robles of Defense or Fernando Grande-Marlaska of the Interior last year.

"These visits are frequent, but this time, they want to put an end to all this espionage affair and open a new stage of cooperation," emphasize the intelligence service sources, recalling that Morocco and Spain, through this act, intend to strengthen their cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, illegal immigration and jihadist terrorism.

This image of good understanding between Spain and Morocco comes in a context of crisis between Spain and Algeria, provoked by Pedro Sanchez’s decision to support the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara. The consequences are already there. Algeria has suspended its treaty of friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation with Spain, effectively ending trade between the two countries.